AIMEE BOBRUK - SECRET (BalconyTV)

'Like' us on Facebook - http://on.fb.me/mhECp2 Follow us on Twitter - http://bit.ly/tGop1yPRESENTED BY STEPHANIE ROBALINOThe last thing Bobruk and producer Darwin Smith wanted to do with The Safety Match Journal was make another singer-songwriter record. Yes, Bobruk writes her own songs, and sings them too, but for the Huntsville, Texas, native now dwelling in Austin, that's as far as it goes."Neither Darwin nor I wanted this record to sound predictable," she says. "I approached Darwin with full trust and gave him complete freedom to explore arrangements, sounds, and textures-- our intention was to uproot my songs from 'genres' like 'folk' and 'rock.'"Bobruk and Smith employed some interesting strategies to upend those staid classifications and give The Safety Match Journal its fresh sound. At Cacophony Recorders (Darwin Smith's and Eric Wofford's studio) Smith used a wide array of non-traditional instruments - an old doorbell and hubcap rims dipped in water -- against more orchestral instruments like the bass clarinet and cello to embellish Bobruk's poetic, heartfelt songs. Then Smith took it a step further, using studio alchemy like tracking speed and unconventional processing to subtly alter the finished tracks. The result is a canvas of lush, textured, and ambient arrangements."Liverpool," "Fools For Love," "Here She Comes," and "Puppets at Play" demonstrate a more pop sensibility in her writing and address the universal emotions of frustration and heartache. Juxtaposed with nostalgic lullabies like, "For the Lost Airwaves" and "Blessing," as well as the roots based "Precious Jesus," Bobruk's writing covers a broad range of topics and themes. Here are a few of the album's inspirations, in her own well-chosen words:"Shores of Gold": "I think of some of the sounds we achieved as resembling a sort of exotic jungle. I also hear what reminds me of recorded whale cries. I imagine diving deep into the ocean to be confronted by beautiful monsters.""Losing the Magic...